C14.1 - Finite and renewable resources

Question 1

What do we all rely on?

Answer 1

We all rely on the Earth’s natural resources

Question 2

Why do we all rely on the Earth’s natural resources?

Answer 2

We all rely on the Earth’s natural resources to live

Question 3

We all rely on the Earth’s natural resources to live.

What are they used to do?

Answer 3

We all rely on the Earth’s natural resources to live

They are used to make homes to live in, provide food, for the energy needed to cook, stay warm and fuel transport

Question 4

What has humankind found?

Answer 4

Humankind has found ever more ways to make use of the natural resources

Question 5

Where has humankind found ever more ways to make use of the natural resources?

Answer 5

Humankind has found ever more ways to make use of the natural resources in the Earth’s crust, oceans, rivers, lakes and atmosphere

Question 6

What have people always used?

Answer 6

People have always used natural products

Question 7

Where have people always used natural products?

Answer 7

People have always used natural products, gathered from their environment

Question 8

People have always used natural products, gathered from their environment.
What has increased the supply of these products?

Answer 8

People have always used natural products, gathered from their environment
The farming of plants and animals has increased the supply of these products

Question 9

People have always used natural products, gathered from their environment.
The farming of plants and animals has increased the supply of these products.
Not only that, what have chemists developed?

Answer 9

People have always used natural products, gathered from their environment
The farming of plants and animals has increased the supply of these products
Not only that, but chemists have developed synthetic alternatives to these natural products

Question 10

How can you classify natural resources?

Answer 10

You can classify natural resources as:
1. Finite
Or,
2. Renewable

Question 11

Finite resources

Answer 11

Finite resources are those that are being used up at a faster rate than they can be replaced

Question 12

Finite resources are those that are being used up at a faster rate than they can be replaced.
So what will happen if we carry on using these resources at current rates?

Answer 12

Finite resources are those that are being used up at a faster rate than they can be replaced
So, if we carry on using these resources at current rates, finite resources will eventually run out

Question 13

Examples of finite resources

Answer 13

Examples of finite resources are fossil fuels - coal, crude oil and natural gas

Question 14

Renewable resources

Answer 14

Renewable resources are those that can be replaced at the same rate at which they are used up

Question 15

Examples of renewable resources

Answer 15

Examples of renewable resources are the crops used to make biofuels

Question 16

What is the natural resource of wool used for?

Answer 16

The natural resource of wool is used for:

1. Clothes
2. Carpets

Question 17

The natural resource of wool is used for clothes and carpets.
What are the alternative synthetic products?

Answer 17

The natural resource of wool is used for clothes and carpets
The alternative synthetic products are:
1. Acrylic fibre (polyacrylonitrile)
2. Poly(propene)

Question 18

What is the natural resource of cotton used for?

Answer 18

The natural resource of cotton is used for:

1. Clothes
2. Textiles

Question 19

The natural resource of cotton is used for clothes and textiles.
What is the alternative synthetic product?

Answer 19

The natural resource of cotton is used for clothes and textiles
The alternative synthetic product is polyester

Question 20

What is the natural resource of silk used for?

Answer 20

The natural resource of silk is used for clothes

Question 21

The natural resource of silk is used for clothes.

What is the alternative synthetic product?

Answer 21

The natural resource of silk is used for clothes.

The alternative synthetic product is nylon

Question 22

What is the natural resource of linseed oil used for?

Answer 22

The natural resource of linseed oil is used for paint

Question 23

The natural resource of linseed oil is used for paint.

What is the alternative synthetic product?

Answer 23

The natural resource of linseed oil is used for paint.

The alternative synthetic product is acrylic resin

Question 24

What is the natural resource of rubber used for?

Answer 24

The natural resource of rubber is used for:

1. Tyres
2. Washers

Question 25

The natural resource of rubber is used for tyres and washers. What are the alternative synthetic products?

Answer 25

The natural resource of rubber is used for tyres and washers | The alternative synthetic products are various synthetic polymers, such as poly(butadiene)

Question 26

What is the natural resource of wood used for?

Answer 26

The natural resource of wood is used for construction

Question 27

The natural resource of wood is used for construction. | What are the alternative synthetic products?

Answer 27

The natural resource of wood is used for construction The alternative synthetic products are: 1. PVC 2. Composites (MDF)

Question 28

What does the chemical industry use natural resources as?

Answer 28

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products

Question 29

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products. What are metal ores used to do?

Answer 29

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products Metal ores are used to extract metals

Question 30

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products. What is crude oil used to do?

Answer 30

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products Crude oil is used to make: 1. Polymers 2. Petrochemicals

Question 31

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products. What is limestone used to make?

Answer 31

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products Limestone is used to make: 1. Cement 2. Concrete

Question 32

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products. What does crude oil make?

Answer 32

The chemical industry uses natural resources as the raw materials to make new products Crude oil to make the petrol, diesel and kerosene that we use for transport

Question 33

What is brown bauxite?

Answer 33

Brown bauxite is the finite resource from which we extract aluminium metal

Question 34

What happens depending on assumptions made about finite resources?

Answer 34

Depending on the assumptions made, estimates of how long the finite resources will last differ by orders of magnitude

Question 35

Depending on the assumptions made, estimates of how long the finite resources will last differ by orders of magnitude. What are there many?

Answer 35

Depending on the assumptions made, estimates of how long the finite resources will last differ by orders of magnitude There are many uncertainties

Question 36

Depending on the assumptions made, estimates of how long the finite resources will last differ by orders of magnitude. There are many uncertainties. Examples

Answer 36

Depending on the assumptions made, estimates of how long the finite resources will last differ by orders of magnitude There are many uncertainties Examples: 1. What will be the future rate of use? 2. How accurately do we know the amounts of finite resources on the Earth? 3. Will new sources be discovered?

Question 37

Data in the form of bar charts show estimations of the percentage of finite reserves likely to be left in 2036 compared with estimates of 2011, if we assume that we continue to use them at current rates, or that our rate of use increases at current rates of acceleration. Why may predictions like these not be valid?

Answer 37

Predictions like these may not be valid, because neither prediction builds in the effect of recycling resources, which is likely to be significant in the future

Question 38

Wherever possible, where are industries moving towards?

Answer 38

Wherever possible, industries are moving towards renewable resources

Question 39

Why are industries moving towards renewable resources wherever possible?

Answer 39

Wherever possible, industries are moving towards renewable resources to conserve finite resources and to improve sustainability

Question 40

How can we think of sustainability?

Answer 40

We can think of sustainability as developments that meet the needs of society now, without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their needs

Question 41

We can think of sustainability as developments that meet the needs of society now, without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their needs. An example of this

Answer 41

An example of sustainability is: In the plastics industry, many of the polymers produced use ethene made from crude oil as a starting material. However, ethene can also be made from ethanol and ethanol can be made by fermenting glucose from sugar cane or sugar beet, so using a renewable crop as the raw material for ethene makes plastics such as poly(ethene) more sustainable than ones using up finite supplies of crude oil

Question 42

We can think of sustainability as developments that meet the needs of society now, without endangering the ability of future generations to meet their needs. An example of this other than using ethanol to make ethene rather than crude oil.

Answer 42

An example of sustainability other than using ethanol to make ethene rather than crude oil is: The use of wood chips instead of fossil fuels to fuel power stations, linked to a programme of planting new trees